Anchoring means for sheet material members



May 16, 1950 J. E. JUBIN 2,507,978

ANCHORING MEANS FOR SHEET MATERIAL MEMBERS Filed Dec. 2, 1946 2Sheets-Sheet l a :1 5 2 awe/Mm May 16, 1950 J. E. JUBIN ANCHORING MEANSFOR SHEET MATERIAL MEMBERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 2, 1946 gwucm fowa /L a. aw,

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Patented May 16, 1950 UNITED STATES;

" Q F-FIC ANCHQRING MEAN S FOR SHEET MATERIAL MEMBERS Claims;

This invention relates to anchoring onlooking means for securingtogether sheet material members, and is of the general type wherein avflap or tongue carried by one member is received in a slot or aperturein the other member. While the invention is primarily intended for usein anchoring or locking together box bodies and end closures, or otherrelated parts of-cardboard or fiberboard boxes or containers, it is alsocapable of use in securing together other sheet material members orportions thereof.

It has been known heretofore to employ various locking arrangementswherein locking tabs or wings carried by one member are folded andinserted through a slot or slots in another-memher; to then resilientlyunfold or expand so that. portions thereof will be out-of registry withsaid slot or slots to prevent withdrawal, except with considerabledifficulty, without tearing. or damaging same.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an anchoringor locking means of this general type wherein the locking elements orwings may be repeatedly inserted intoand withdrawn from theircooperating slots, easily and without damaging same, and at the sametime are constructed and arranged in such a way as to firmly andsecurely withstand unintentional withdrawal resulting from forcestending to cause relative bodily motion between the sheet materialmembers;

Other objects are: to provide such an anchoring or locking means whereinthe locking members or means is especially adapted for formation in theflange of a usual cardboard or fiber board box cover, such formationrequiring no additional sheet material; to provide such an anchoring orlocking means which may be employed to establish a hinged connectionbetween sheet material members; and in a modification to provide meansfor deflecting the locking means into firm frictional engagement withthe sides of their respective slots.

In accordance with the present invention one of the sheet materialmembers has at least one lockingwing or element mounted. thereon forrelative rotary movement about a linear axis, to be received in a slotin another member, said slot extending radially to and terminating atthe said axis. This locking wing extends for substantially one hundredand eighty degrees around said axis, and has a generally radiallydisposed locking edge or portion for rotary movement through and aroundthe end of the slot into abutting engagement with the inner surface ofsaid other member at a location closelyrad: iacenttosaidv axis toprevent bodily, withdrawal, he p..or 'winsi-is.

of said wing from said slot maintained in said slotlagainst rotary'wit-hdrawal, by frictional engagement with. the. side;

of. the slot; and, in one; embodiment. of; the invention a deflector is.providedrtopos i e y-ur e;

the flap or wing into such frictionalfingagement.

Thusthe positive locking. engagement of thelocking element .willbeconcentratedrrat ;or-qin the;

vicinity of the ofrotary movementzthereof;

and forces tending to-cause-relative .movement'7 between theaforementioned. sheet materiakrnem. bers will also be transmitted tosaid axisqilt,

follows therefore that any. resultingmomentrof rotational force tending.to. rotate andsretract. said. wing. or flap fromits. slotwillbeznegligible; and in any'event insufiieient toovercomezthe 1f6--sistance. offered by the: frictional. engagement; between the Wing andthe sideof the slot, eventhough such resistance. be relatively small;

Otherobjects and advarftages willbe apparent from the. followingdetailed description. taken; in connection with theaccompanyingdrawings, -in.

which Figure 1 represents aperspective view of' agpori' Figure '3, afragmentary front; elevation 0.1". One

of the locking means. of theinvention. .and .the adjoining. portions.ofthe box;

Figure 4, a section on the line: 5+4; ofil' -igure 3; looking. in thedirection. of the arrows;

Figure 5, a view similarto Figure 1-, Showing a;

portion of a poultry. shipping box which is es-- pecially adapted forcooperation p-withs my; improved locking means;

Figured, a fragmentary plan viewof a portion,

of a box cover blank showing .oneof the locking means: as employed ineither embodiment of: the invention, as same appears wheninblankqformprior to foldingof the various portions. thereof intooperative position;

Figure '1, a sectional view of themodifiedem; bodiment illustrated inFigure 5, this-section, being taken on the line |'l'of Figure8, looking;

inthe direction of ;the arrows; and

Figure 8, a sectionon the lined-:8;ofliligure- 7, looking in thedirection of-the arrows.

Referring now in detail to-the accompanying drawings, and consideringfirst-the; preferred embodiment of thesinventionillustrated in Fig-.

ures 1 to 4 inclusive and 6, the reference character A thereindesignates any usual form of fiber board, cardboard or other sheetmaterial box body, and the reference character B designates a usualflanged top or end closure for same. The structural details of the boxbody A and end closure B, except as hereinafter specified, constitute nopart of the present invention.

The usual flanges or flange sections 72 of the end closure B receive andlie flush against the corresponding sides a of the box body A. Normallythe top or closure B is removable vertically from the box body A.

The locking means of my invention are shown as embodied in such a box orcontainer construction to positively lock or anchor the top B againstremoval from the box body A. In practice, a plurality of such lockingmeans are suitably disposed at such locations, preferably one to eachside of the box, as will serve to adequately maintain the box top Bsecurely anchored or locked to the box body A. Various other suitablearrangements or dispositions of the locking means, in addition to thatillustrated, will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

Each of the locking means is similar in construction and operation tothe others. Thus referring to any one of said locking means, as shown inblank form in Figure 6, it will be seen that same comprises a preferablyintegral sheet material flap I, hingedly connected to the flange b ofthe closure B for relative swinging movement about a line or axis whichis defined by the fold line 2.

Carried by each flap, and foldable perpendicularly thereto along a line4 extending radially or perpendicularly to said line or axis 2, is atleast one locking element or wing 3. Preferably two such wings 3 areintegrally attached to opposite linear ends of each said flap.

Formed in the sides a of the box body A, in the same radial planes asthe respective fold lines 4 of said locking elements 3, to register withsaid fold lines in the unfolded condition of their respective flaps l,are locking slots 5 to receive the respective wings or lockin elements3.

The end locking edges 6 of the slots 5 are substantially coincidentwith, or contiguous to, the fold line 2 defining the axis of swingingmovement of each flap l. Although the slots 5 may extend for any desireddistance from the fold line or axis 2, so long as they are of sufiicientlength to receive the wings 3, it is desirable to form these slots onlyslightly longer than the fold lines 4 of said wings, and to so designeach wing 3 that when folded no portion thereof will be of greaterradius relative to the axis 2 than the portion immediately adjoining thefold line 4.

Such relative proportions of the wings 3 and cooperating slots 5 isillustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein it will be seen that,when completely inserted through the slots 5, the wings 3 nearlycompletely occupy and substantially conceal same.

Preferably the slots 5 are of just sufiicient width to accommodate thewings 3, and the inherent stiffly resilient qualities of the fiberboard, cardboard or other stilfly resilient sheet material of which thebox is formed, will cause the wings 3 carried by each flap l topartially unfold or move apart after insertion through their respectiveslots 5 into frictional engagement with the relatively remote side edgesthereof, as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings.

An important feature of the invention resides in the particular shape ofthe Wings 3 wherein each said wing has a free end portion 1 projectingacross its respective linear axis of swinging movement 2, and each suchprojecting portion 7 is formed with a radial locking edge 8 insubstantial alignment with its respective fold line 4. It is notessential that the radial dimensions of the locking edge 8, or of thewing 3 adjoining same, be as great as shown, it being important onlythat the projecting portion 7 closely adjacent the axis 2 present anedge 8 in substantial alignment with the fold line 4.

Thus it will be seen that each wing 3, when folded about its fold line 4into operative position in a radial plane relative to the linear axis 2of its flap 1, will extend around and closely adjacent its said axis 2for substantially degrees from the plane of its flap 1, so that the freeend portion 1 thereof will project across the axis 2 and be disposed inedgewise abutment with its locking edge 8 against the interior face ofthe box side a at a location closely adjacent said axis 2, whencompletely inserted through its respective slot 5.

It will be apparent from inspection of the blank or unfolded flap I andwings 3 shown in Figure 4, that the flap and wings 3 are each formedfrom the material normally comprised in flange b by cutting same to theshape of said blank, and forming the fold or score lines 2 and 4 thereinin usual manner. Portions of the flange b on either side of the lockingmeans may be removed or cut away, as shown, to provide a neat finishedappearance, though this is not essential.

In the use of the invention, prior to application of the end closure Bto the box body A, the flaps l are all reversely folded to lie flushagainst the exterior surfaces of the box flange or flange section I).The end closure is then applied over the box body A, and the wings 3 arefolded outwardly normally to their respective flaps l, to lie in thesame radial planes relative to the respective axis 2 as do theirrespective slots 5. With the wings in this position, the flaps l arethen successively swung downwardly into engagement with the exteriorfaces of the box sides a between the respective pairs of slots 5, thusinserting or swinging the wings or looking elements 3 completely throughthe respective slots. This causes the radial locking edges 8 thereof toabut against the exterior faces of said box sides a in the mannerhereinbelore mentioned, while engagement between the slot end edges Eand the wings 3 disposed therethrough will prevent removal of the endclosure B from the box body A.

After passing through the slots 5 into operative locking position, thewings 3 will normally tend to partially unfold away from each other intofrictional engagement with the relatively remote sides of theirrespective slots 5 to thus maintain themselves in their operativelocking position.

In such operative position it will be seen that all forces tending tocause withdrawal or removal of the top or end closure B from the boxbody A are transmitted to the fold lines or axes 2 of the respectivelocking means. Also it will be seen that such forces are opposed by theabutment of the locking wings 3 with portions ol the box sides (i. e.the slot ends 6 and the inner faces of the box sides immediatelyadjoining said slot ends 6) at locations very nearly coincident withsaid fold lines or axes 2. Accordingly the resulting moments ofrotational force transmitted to such flaps I and wings 3 by forces tend-5 ing't'o displace the-cover b will be insignificant and insuflicient toovercome the comparatively light frictional resistance between thewings3 and the sides r edges of their respective slots 5.

In order to swing the locking means to inoperative position to permitremoval of the end closure or cover B; the various flaps l-may each beeasily raised, as by the insertion of a fingernail thereunder, andreversely swung or folded to lie flush against their" respective flangesections b, thereby completely retracting the lockingelements or wings 3from their respective slots 5, without tearing or damaging same.

lhus the locking means may be used repeatediy without destruction ordamage thereto other than that resulting from ordinary wear'and tear.

Where it is desired to provide a hinged connection between the box bodyA and cover B, the locking means on one side of the box only are placedin operative locking engagement, whereupon the cover B rn'aybe raisedand swung about the axis of the fold line 2 of said operative lookingmeans.

In the modified form of the invention illustrated in Figures 5, 7 and 8,the locking means is illustrated as it actually appears in onecommercial embodiment, wherein it is used in combination with otherfeatures of a fiber board poultry shipping box. In'this modifiedconstruction, the usualventilator-or spacer posts l'il of the box areassociated with the slots and wings 3 in a novel manner to function asdeflectors for positively urging the wings 3 into flrm frictionalengagement with the edges of their respective slots 5.

The flaps l and locking elements 3 thereof are constructed and arrangedin substantially the same manner as heretofore described in thepreferred embodiment, and may be formed from a blank similar to thatillustrated in Figure 6.

The slots 5 in the box sides a consists of apertures left in the boxsides, after looking tongues l I integral therewith along relativelyadjacent parallel edges, are folded inwardly to engage their respectivedeflector elements lll and operatively position same between therelatively remote edges of the slots 5', as hereinafter set forth. Itwill be noted that the slots 5 are formed with end edges or edgeportions i3 substantially coincident with the axes 2 of their respectiveadjacent flaps i, as in the preferred embodiment heretofore described,to cooperate with the wings 3 in the manner heretofore described.

The deflector elements Ill, in the present embodiment are also utilizedas supporting posts projecting through conformingly shaped apertures inthe box end closure B to support similar boxes thereabove. However, theutilization of said members Ill in a capacity other than as deflectorconstitutes no part of the present invention. Accordingly, such otheruse and the structural features peculiar thereto will not be describedherein in detail, other than to state that these parts may be generallysimilar to those disclosed in Patent 1,704,948 to Maston and, as in saidpatent may be combined with partitioning elements which assist inpositioning same against the box sides.

Each deflector element illustrated is of generally tubularcross-section, having one panel I2 disposed flush against the inner faceof the box side wall a, between the planes of the relatively remoteparallel edges of its cooperating slots 5'. As will be seen in Figure 8,each said panel I2 is provided with slots l3, suitably shaped: and -disposed to receive the locking tongues-H afore mentioned. Thespecificshape and arrangement of the tongues ll and'slots l-3 may beinaccordance with various'prior-art teachings as suchdetails per seconstitute no partof the present invention.

The operation of this modifiedform of the invention is similar'tothatof'the preferred embodiment heretofore described except that thelockingwings 3 are insertedthrough the slots 5 between the relativelyremote'edges'thereof and the respective opposite lateral edges'or'corners of thedefiector element I0; 'I he element I0 is soproportioned relative to the slots-5' "that it deflects'the wings 3 intofirm frictionalengagement with the relatively remote edges of said slots5, as clearly shown in Figure 8.

I claim l. Anchoring means f'cr'securing together two sheet materialmembers -'compri'singan inherentl resilient sheet material flapg ahinge" connection between said flap and one of said members defining afixed axisof swihging movement' for saidflap, a wing carried by saidflap and fol'd'able perpendicularly thereto along a fold line extendingradially from=said axis; theother of s'aid' 'me'mbers being formed witha-- slot in registry with said fold line in the operative position ofsaid flap to receive said wing, saidslot lia'ving' an endedgesubstantially coincident with said axisand a side edge extendingparallel to said fold line, said wing being insertible through andretractible from said slot during swinging movement of said flap, andhaving a free end portion projecting across said axis, said portionbeing formed with a radial locking edge disposed at substantially onehundred and eighty degrees relative to the fold line of said wing toengage the inner surface of said other member closely adjacent said axisand prevent linear withdrawal of said wing from said slot, incombination with a deflector element associated with said other memherto deflect said wing into frictional engagement with the aforesaid sideedge of said slot.

2. Anchoring means for securing a box end closure to a box body, saidclosure being formed with a, fold line and said anchoring meanscomprising an inherently resilient sheet material flap connected to saidclosure along said fold line for relative swinging movement about alinear axis defined by said fold line, wings integral with said flap andfoldable perpendicularly inwardly thereto along fold lines extendingradially from said axis, said box body being formed with slotsrespectively in registry with said fold lines in the operative positionof said flap to receive said wings, said slots having end edgessubstantially coincident with said axis and relatively remote side edgesextending in planes parallel to said fold lines, said wings beinginsertible through and retractible from said slots during swingingmovement of said flap, and having free end portions projecting acrosssaid axis, said portions respectively being formed with radial lockingedges disposed in alignment with the fold lines of said wings to engagethe inner surface of the box body .closely adjacent said axis andprevent linear withdrawal of said wings from said slots, said wingsinherently resiliently partially unfolding after insertion through saidslots to frictionally engage said side edges thereof and resist rotarywithdrawal therefrom.

3. Anchoring means for securing a first sheet material member to asecond sheet material member having a pair of parallel linearlycoextensive slots therethrough comprising, a sheet material fiaphingedly connected to said first member alon a fold line extendingtransversely to said slots for relative swinging movement about a fixedaxis defined by said fold line, said slots terminating at said foldline, a pair of wings carried by said flap for insertion in saidrespective slots, said wings being integrally connected to said fiap andfoldable relative thereto along parallel fold lines extending radiallyfrom said axis, said wings having free end portions projecting acrosssaid axis, said end portions having locking edges in alignment withtheir respective fold lines.

4. Anchoring means for securing a first sheet material member to asecond sheet material member having a linear slot therethroughcomprising, a sheet material fiap hingedly connected to said firstmember along a fold line extending transversely to said slots, forswinging movement about a fixed axis defined by said fold line, saidslots terminating at said fold line, and a locking wing carried by saidflap for insertion in said slot, said wing being connected to said flapalong a fold line extending radially from said aXis and foldable aboutthe axis defined by said fold line, said wing having a free end portionprojecting across the fixed axis of said flap, said end portion having alocking edge in alignment with said fold line.

5. Anchoring means for securing a first sheet material member to asecond sheet material member having a pair of parallel linearlycoextensive slots therethrough, said anchoring means comprising, a sheetmaterial flap hingedly connected along a fold line to said first memberfor relative swinging movement about a fixed axis defined by said foldline, a pair of wings carried by said fiap for insertion in saidrespective slots, said wings being integrally connected to said fiap andfoldable relative thereto along parallel fold lines extending radiallyfrom opposite ends of said first fold line, the free edges of the wingslying within a radius from the respective ends of the first named foldline not greater than the lengths of the respective fold linesconnecting said wings to said flap, said wings having free end portionsprojecting across said fixed axis, said end portions having lockingedges in alignment with their respective fold lines.

JOSEPH E. JUBIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 729,123 Boedefeld May 26, 1903 302,041,021 Quagliotti May 19, 1936

